1909 in the United Kingdom

Events from the year 1909 in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Incumbents

1 January - National old age pension scheme comes into force.^[1]
9 January - Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole forced to turn back eleven miles from the pole.^[2]
26 February - First film shown in colour using Kinemacolor at the Palace Theatre, London.^[2]
10 March - Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 signed in Bangkok.
15 March - Selfridges department store opens in London.^[2]
16 March - Port of London Authority established.^[2]
15 June - Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.
26 June - King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra open the Victoria and Albert Museum, designed by Aston Webb.^[1]
23 August - The Secret Service Bureau counter-espionage unit (later known as MI5) is secretly established.^[1]
3 September - the first Boy Scout rally held at The Crystal Palace in London.^[2]
26 September - Force-feeding of hunger striking sufragettes begins.^[1]
2 October - The first rugby football match played in Twickenham.
5 November - The first Woolworth's store in Britain opens in Liverpool.^[2]
30 November - House of Lords rejects the Budget, forcing a general election.^[1]
4 December - The University of Bristol was founded and received its Royal Charter.
7 December - South Africa granted dominion status.^[1]
The mass-circulation London Daily Mail hysterically informs its readers in a series of reports that Germany is deliberately preparing to destroy the British Empire.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Palmer, Alan & Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 342-343. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Penguin Pocket On This Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-141-02715-0.